Getting Back on Track!

I was logged into RunKeeper last night and was checking out how many miles I have ran for the year. I ran week 3 run 2 yesterday and was wondering how far I have ran and how far I will run by the end of the year. See... some days I can't even turn off my brain while I'm running and "clearing my mind".

I haven't done much snooping around in the web application RunKeeper, but so far I like it. It shows me a map of where I ran, the elevation, my pace, and all sorts of other good stats. In January, I ran 5 times for a total of 10.15 miles. This was a portion of me trying to get back on track with running and then restarting C25K. So far this month I have ran total of 4 times for a total of 8.3 miles. Each month I'll be adding more miles than the next until I level off at 5K. There are all sorts of reports you can pull off of RunKeeper.

Before heading out to the track yesterday I was putting on my running shoes and even though I bought them at week 5 last year I still LOVE them and found myself admiring them. Soooooo.... I took a picture!

Kevin and I have finally decided which 5K we're officially running in! On May 5th we're going to run in the Fiesta 5K. The 5K supports the Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. They enable the world’s best ALS scientists to collaborate and access funding so that they may continue work to rapidly develop new treatments and find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. We have a friend who was putting together and team and I thought May would be perfect timing for us AND hopefully perfect weather! Here is more information.

So yeah... I'm still moving and shaking. Some days are harder to get out there than others. But once I'm out there I'm soooo glad that I am. The weather this winter has been very mild so far and has helped me continue to push myself to get outside and not let my fear of running on a treadmill wimp me out!

Running Forward!

I've finally been able to get some running in! On Tuesday the weather was beautiful and I got a great run in as planned. These runs are nice because there is more walking than running! I take time to breath in the nice weather around me during the walking portion of the runs.

I was supposed to run yesterday but it was cold and supposed to rain. It just stayed dreary all day and I didn't pack my running stuff. I curled up with Book 4 and dove into Teddy's childhood during my lunch break. I wasn't too concerned about not running because I knew today was coming....

Today was in the UPPER 50's and once the storm clouds from the morning rolled out it made for perfect running weather. Maryland winter weather this year is really out of whack. One morning we wake up to ice on the ground then a few days later we're hearing thunderstorms on the way into work!

The sky was soooo beautiful at the track this afternoon that I took pictures during my walk intervals as the clouds rolled out. Enjoy!

Found a large puddle to avoid this afternoon.....

The blue skies were trying to peek through for me

Sloooowly and surely.....

TA DA!

Those gray skies were rolling to the other side of campus and out to route 50!

TRYING to Start Over!

Sigh.... I finally got on the ball and ran Week 1 Run 1 last Thursday. It was much needed considering I had taken Connor to the doctors for his 2 year well visit and his 28lbs, 35inches long, 100% cuteness was a hot mess through shots and the "inspection" from the doctor. At one point he ran down the hallway to the waiting room and threw himself on the floor while screaming his lungs out. Sigh.... I won't be doing that alone ever again....

After I dropped Connor off at daycare and before I headed into work I decided to go for the first run. It was 29 degrees.... COLD! BUT I layered up and went for it. I was cold at first but then warmed up to the point that I shed my gloves and ear warmers by the time I was doing my cool down walk. I felt great, the run was great and the stress was gone.

So running on Thursday would make my next run on Saturday. I had a pretty busy schedule for Saturday but knew I would be able to squeeze it in that morning. Until.... I woke up to this:

Ice... Ice... EVERYWHERE!

SNOW AND ICE!! Well it was really just ice once we got out there and started tromping around. So in my book there is no way that I am going to run on ice. Just not happening! I decided that I would wait another day and let the roads get clear.

Sunday rolls around and as I walked from the grocery store to my car my face felt like it had nearly froze over and was about to fall off. Then my decision to run or not to run (I was leaning way towards not running) was made when I got home and Kevin had been called into work. I can't go off running and leave Connor home by himself napping!

So here we are Monday.... I packed my gear to run on my lunch break. Its supposed to rain but I planned to run on the treadmill at the gym to make sure I get my run in. I despise running on the treadmill but I have to get a run in! I walk over to the gym (I work on a college campus), change my clothes and head for the gym.... only to find.... there is a sign that says "Class in Session". I literally had "WTF!!!" dancing in front of my eyes! The Faculty/Staff hours are from 12 - 1... it was 12:15.... Sigh...........So I have yet to get Week 1 Run 2 completed!

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the upper 40's and I plan to run on my lunch break on the track. At this point I'm thinking I might as well start over again. It's much harder to run in the winter than the summer. Less daylight hours, its bitter cold and icy. At least in the summer you can run in the rain because its not freezing cold and if I don't get a run in on my lunch break I can run when I get home because the sun is still up.

Still trucking but feeling like I'm being pushed back by the universe. Sigh.....

Starting Over...C25K

Source

I didn't want to start all over again... but I'm coming to terms that I'm going to have to start C25K over again. I wonder how many people complete it and then go on a running break and then have to start all over again? I know I'm not the only one.... the vacation, being sick and holidays just totally did me in. Sigh....

I tried running last week. I programmed my app for a 5min warm up walk, 20 minute run and then a 5 minute cool down walk. I got tired quick but pushed my way through. Around 15 minutes into my run I started loose my breath. Usually I would have slowed my pace a little and let my lungs catch up. This time, I decided to take it as my sign to end early and start the cool down walk. I'm glad I did. I was so sore for days afterward. I was also horrendously sick that evening. I don't know it it was dinner, running for the first time in a month and a half or dehydration or maybe all three but I felt like death.

Kevin also went off track with his running this past month as well. Before he went for his run on Monday he mentioned he was on Week 1. We talked about him starting over again and I started thinking about it.

Before my lunch break today, I started eyeing up the C25K website again. I thought would start at Week 3 or Week 4.... but no... I'm starting from the beginning. Week 1. I can focus on distance and speed this time. Well.... I grabbed my gym bag and went to head to the locker room when I realized I left my headphones at home. Damn. I totally made my very last excuse for not running, grabbed my Nook and enjoyed eating my lunch in one of the study rooms at the college. I'll start tomorrow! So here's to starting over and Week 1!

C25K COMPLETE!

Well... I'm done!! Done the program that is.... I plan to keep running and get Kevin and myself registered for a 5k in the next month but boy does it feel awesome to actually complete a program dedicated to getting you in shape. My last run was smooth sailing and actually enjoyable!

I've been meaning to blog about how I get a note from the universe in my inbox every morning and I will another time, BUT this morning the note read:
 

"Every fortune, gold medal, and trophy...

Every comeback, triumph, and celebration...

And every kiss, hug, and hand held, Amanda...

Were first a thought, a whisper, or a dream.

Go, Amanda, go!
    The Universe"

I found this on Pinterest a while ago.
http://pinterest.com/pin/375253639/

It really spoke truth to me this morning. When I first started this journey I did it half heartily and  with the assumption that if it got too tough I'd stop. But as the first week was completed my thoughts became focused on completion and my dream became doing it.

Right now I'm about a half mile short of running a 5k. I can run the time asked but I haven't reached the distance. Over the next two weeks I'm going to add 3 to 5 minutes to my time until I reach the final goal.

I'm so glad that Kevin and I did this together. It was helpful to have him to bounce ideas off, complain too, and celebrate triumphs with. I'm looking forward to pushing forward over the next two weeks to reach the 5k mark so we can start the next part of our journey.

So if I can complete this you can too! I know of at least two others that have started running since I started posting these adventures. Time for you to start! Get the first step out the door and the rest will follow!

One Run Left....

I just did my second run in Week 9 for C25K.... one run left. Usually I've been waiting to finish the week before blogging BUT this run was my best yet. I ran a total of 2.50 miles with the total work out being 3.24 miles. My average speed per mile (while running) was in the 11 minute range rather than the 12 minute range. The weather was BEAUTIFUL. 62 degrees and breezy/windy. The sun was shining through the clouds bouncing around in the sky. I felt like universe was giving me such a great gift today. When my app told me it was time for the cool down I wanted to continue and finish two more laps to make it an even 3 miles but I decided to complete C25K before pushing it.

This was my last C25K run on the track. I'll complete Week 9 on Saturday at home in my neighborhood. I plan to keep running on my lunch breaks when needed on the track but this is the last run in the program at the track. It felt bittersweet. I started in Week 1 in the middle of August and I was sweating my butt off in the hazy, hot, and humid weather - OUT OF SHAPE. Now, I'm in the middle of October in the cool breeze of Autumn. While I haven't really lost any weight I feel stronger. I decided to take pictures before leaving to track to show what a beautiful day / run it was. Enjoy.

 

My favorite

C25K Week 8 Complete... FINALLY

I've FINALLY completed Week 8! It took me longer because of our crazy schedule and I had to put a couple extra days in between my runs. It made it harder, but nearly as hard as Week 7. Something about those 25 min runs just did me in.

Week 8 we had to run for 28mins all three runs. I was nervous because of the trouble I had with Week 7 but I had a new determination not to fail anymore. NO MORE EXCUSES.

Run 1 was a challenge BUT I wasn't struggling and cusing or huffing and puffing at the end. I felt GREAT and excited. I had to do this run on my lunch break at work and even though I took a quick shower afterwards I felt really gross putting my work clothes back on and sitting in my office the rest of the day. Its getting harder and harder to do my runs at work. Boo...

Run 2 was my best run this whole journey. Throughout the run I was getting bursts of speed and actually RUNNING instead of jogging. I was great! I was exhausted afterwards.

Run 3 I compeleted three days after Run 2 instead of one day. It sucked. I jogged most of the run and I just wasn't feeling it. PMS had a huge factor in this but again... that's just an excuse. At 20 minutes my lower back started screaming at me. At 24 minutes it locked up and an I had to stop and walk. After a minute of walking I was upset with myself so I pushed myself to run the last 3 minutes. Now I'm sitting here thinking a heating pad on my back would do WONDERS - But I'm glad I pushed myself.

Now that Week 8 is complete I'm moving into my final week of C25K. It won't be my final week of running and prepping for a 5K. I'm only at 2 miles when I hit 28 mintues and I don't see myself running that extra 1.1 mile in the 3 minutes that is going to be added this week.

Kevin and I were going to run the Turkey Trot 5K / 1mile Jaunt BUT I just found out its on a Wednesday at noon. WTF! UGH... Looks like we're on the search again. Soooo until the 5k I'm going to be adding 3 to 5 mins on to each week until I hit 3.1. Afterwards I'll just keep working on my time. I don't see myself speeding up tremendously but speed isn't my goal... finishing is my goal.

I also downloaded an app on my phone called Run Keeper. I really really like it so far. I can program my exercise into the app and it tells me when to walk and when to run. It tracks GPS where I ran and for how far. It also tells me what my pace is. My first two runs this week were 12 minutes and today's was 13.50! See I was jogging SLOW..... After you've completed your workout it emails you a summary and uploads to your profile on their website! I like it because I can track my progress... or lack there of...

Week 9 shouldn't take me nearly as long to complete as this week did. Here's to actually finishing the program!!

C25K Week 6 and 7

I've put off blogging about Week 6 and 7 because they were a bit of a challenge for me. I didn't know how I felt about it. Well... I know how I felt about it... I was disappointed in myself but didn't want to tell the world just yet.....

During Week 6 I had a lot of stress going on. We had our vacation coming up and packing needed to be done and my homework needed to be all caught up. It wouldn't have been an issue IF we didn't have a hockey game to go to, Kevin didn't have bowling and a class to go to that week too AND all the grocery shopping needed to be done for the trip. AND AND AND! Every time I turned around there was something else added to my plate. So.... while running should have been a stress reliever, I was busy thinking of everything that needed to be done AND mentally exhausted on top of it. I  also started putting 2/2.5 days in between my runs instead of a day/day and a half.

Its easy to give up when you're mentally exhausted. In the last two weeks I learned in any physical activity you have to be physically AND mentally ready!

So Week 6 was as follows:
Run 1: Jog for 5min Walk for 3min Jog for 8min Walk for 3min Jog for 5min	Run 2: Jog for 10min Walk for 3min Jog for 10min	Run 3: Jog for 25min

We ended Week 5 running for 20min straight. I figured going back to Run 1 Week 6 would be easy. NOPE! After getting used to running for a long period of time the stopping and starting really played me and it was rough. Run 2 wasn't as bad. But with all the stress I was feeling leading up to it, I just wasn't feeling it. Run 3 was completed at Rocky Gap State Park and, as I stated in a previous post, there was A LOT of hills. The hills killed any kind of drive I had to get through the 25min run. At one point I had to stop mid hill and walk to the top before continuing to run!

Week 7 had all 25min runs. I started a day later than I should have because I wanted to make sure we got home from camping instead of running on the huge hills again. My first run for Week 7 was terrible! It was the first time I didn't finish. My excuses are as follows....

• It was unusually hotter and humid than we had been used from previous days
• Ate a huge lunch about an hour and half before the run
• Exhausted from camping and unpacking
• Body was sore and stiff from the hard bed while camping
• Stepped in a puddle while jogging and started a blister on my heel
• Tweaked my ankle in a random crack/dip in the road

At 21/22 minutes I gave up and started walking home. The closer to home I got the more pissed and upset with myself I got. I had never not finished a run. I was disappointed in myself and knew my reasons for stopping were all just stupid little excuses. I knew I could have finished and didn't.

When I got home I had that awful lump in my throat and felt like crying! Kevin kept telling me there was nothing to be upset about and I could rerun the day and that this is supposed to be hard not easy. As I was sitting in the living room cooling off and resting before hopping in the shower Connor came up to me and handed me his sippy of water and said, "Here you go Mommy". I guess I looked like I needed a drink! After my shower I was less mad at myself and more determined to finish the week.

I decided I would rerun the day if I was still struggling to reach the 25min goal at the end of the week. Run 2 was completed BUT it was a struggle. I completed it on my lunch break on the track and the sun was beating down on me. Right before walking out of my office I took a look at my Vision Board and took in the image that said "100% Committed" and I focused my energy on that phrase throughout the run. There was no way in hell I was going to disappoint myself again.

Run 3 was completed in 50 degree weather! It was CHILLY!!! The first 5 to 6min my lungs had to adjust to breathing in the cold air BUT I finished the run and felt like I could keep going! I'm glad to say I ended Week 7 on a high note instead of the low note I started it on.

Today starts the beginning of Week 8 and we'll be running for 28min all week. Wish me luck!

Rocky Gap Camping Part 1

On Sunday afternoon we left for our first family camping trip at Rocky Gap State Park. We had a blast! We had good and bad weather, ate fabulously cooked camping food, played on great playgrounds, visited a beautiful aviary, saw beautiful scenery, the bathrooms were surprisingly NICE and we had ourselves a cute little cabin to sleep in and hang out in when the rain fell. Lets start from the beginning!

Sunday morning we woke up and decided it would be a great day to order breakfast and have it delivered so we could get to loading up the car. The diner near our house started delivering breakfast last year and it was like mine and Kevin's prayers were answered when we found out. Well........... I called and found out they no longer delivered. My heart broke, I cried deep down inside and then placed the order for pick up. Sigh....

After a huge breakfast it was time to try and load EVERYTHING into the trailblazer. The thing about camping with a toddler or in a place that your unfamiliar with the area is you want to be prepared for everything...so you pack everything.

Kevin spent an hour to an hour and half loading our coolers, clothing, blankets, camping gear, toys, food, bikes, bike trailer and other random "must haves" into the Trailblazer. Needless to say it was PACKED. We had room for Kevin, Connor and me....

I didn't take us nearly as long to get to Rocky Gap as I had anticipated AND Connor napped most of the way there. Woot!


Napping on route 70!

We checked in and found our campsite. It was a nice cozy one room cottage that had a shelf for your stuff, a bunk bed and a double bed. We set up camp and began to prep dinner and the evening fire. Once I got the turkey burger patties together for Kevin to cook, I went from my last run on Week 6 for C25K. The run was rough!! It was a 25min run and at Rocky Gap you're dealing with hills. HILLS HILLS and MORE HILLS!!! When we were driving around I was trying to locate the area with the most down hills. The problem about hills is there are two sides. So if you're running down one side you have to run up the other! I'll get into this run and the beginning of Week 7 in another blog...


Home Sweet Home!



Connor's bed.... YES those are Little Mermaid sheets....
YES they are from when I was a kid some how they've hung around...
They were the ONLY twin sheets in the house!
Please note the pillows propping up the mattress to help keep him from falling out!

Our tiny... very hard... very damp bed.

After my run we had a yummy dinner of turkey burgers and hot dogs. Connor continued to explore his area and next thing you know... it was his bedtime. We were nervous about bed time because he would be sleeping in on the bottom bunk and he usually sleeps in a crib. We took the mattress from the top bunk and put it on the floor next to him.

Surprisingly Connor went right to sleep after we read a book. Kevin and I enjoyed the fire and made s'mores. After s'mores we pulled out the flashlights and read our books by the fire. VERY relaxing and MUCH needed.

We decided to call it a night early after a while and crawled into our tiny very hard double bed. Sleep didn't come easy. There was little air flow even though we had the windows open and the used the screen door. PLUS because its rained and rained and rained this month it felt damp. At least it was hot and humid!! Once we finally fell asleep we woke up to a BAM... actually it was more like a PLUNK then BAM. Connor had rolled off the bed, hit the mattress on the floor and continued onto the hard floor. I JUMPED out of my skin and bed then scooped him up. He started to whine but when I laid him back down on the bed he fell right back to sleep.... silly boy!

Monday was met with lots to do and I'll continue it in a separate blog tomorrow. See you next post!!!

My First Nike and C25K Week 5 Complete!

Between Week 4 and Week 5 of the C25K Kevin and I went to Fleet Feet in Annapolis, MD to get fitted for running shoes. This was a plan we put in place at the beginning of our running journey. We knew we needed new running shoes BUT we didn't want to run out and drop a ton of money on running shoes if we got lazy and decided to stop C25K. BUT since we've accomplished the first 4 weeks we decided we were going to push all the way through to the end. No excuses. No quitting. I've found myself running in the hot humid weather, the cold rain, and running when PMS was kicking my butt. I've officially overcome the procrastination of working out.

ANYWAY... we went to Fleet Feet and they were AWESOME. My friend who completed C25K recommend we check them out. First and for most I was super relieved when I saw a little toy bin where you sit to try on different shoes. I wasn't sure how Connor would do while Kevin and I were trying to shop for new shoes. Seeing the toy bin made me feel a little relaxed that they were "kid-friendly" and are used to dealing with parents dealing with kids while shopping!

I went first while Kevin kept an eye on Connor and entertained him so I could be fully present in talking to the consultant (who knew there was this much to shoe shopping!). I spoke with our consultant about the current activity and my future plans for running. She measured my feet (sitting and standing) and then measured the way my foot rolls in. We talked about any past injuries or pain/discomfort while running. Then she disappeared into the back and brought out three different kinds of shoes. I was able to try on each pair and go for a jog around the parking lot. Once I had narrowed it down to two different shoes I was able to wear one on each foot and go on another jog. I settled on the first pair I tried on the Nike Air Pegasus+ 28.


These are literally my first pair of Nike/expensive shoe ever (even though they were cheaper than I expected to pay originally). I've owned Reebok, Vans and Converse and other name brands before but these are the first real expensive shoes that sought out with a purpose. Well... when I was in elementary school I had to have the Punky Brewseter high tops.... begged and begged my mom for them. She finally bought them for me and my feet grew the next week...

Once I selected my awesome beautiful shoes it was Kevin's turn. He went through the whole ordeal and we walked out of there two happy runners! In the MD area? I suggest visiting Fleet Feet!



 
So we had our new shoes and ventured into Week 5. We were nervous as all get out. By the end of the week we were supposed to run for 20 min straight..... Here's the routine for Week 5 and our thoughts about the whole thing before running it....

Run 1: 5min warm up walk, jog for 5min, walk for 3min, jog for 5min, walk for 3min, jog for 5min and then cool down walk for 5min. <---- Our thoughts: Not a big deal. We can do this.

Run 2: 5min warm up walk, jog for 8min, walk for 5min, jog for 8min and then cool down walk for 5min<---- Our thoughts: We figured this shouldn't be too bad.

Run 3: 5min warm up walk, jog for 20min, cool down walk for 5min <---- Our thoughts: No freakin way.

Soooooo Run 1 and 2 came and went with no problem. I was actually ready to still keep going after Run 2. Day of Run 3 came and I just went for it. At 6min I thought there was no way I was going to finish. At 10min I thought... yeah... I'm doing this! At 13min I was getting tired and starting to feel like I couldn't finish. At 17min I was all smiles because I knew I was going to be able to finish. At 20min I wanted to drop down on my knee, throw my hands in the air and yell, "Superstar" like Mary Katherine Gallagher BUT I did not... I just continued my cool down walk....

So now we venture into Week 6. Wish us luck!











PS - Every time I typed "jog".... I typed "job"... EVERY.SINGLE.TIME......

C25K Week 4 and Biking!

Week 4 for C25K has been started! So far two of the three runs have been completed. Kevin and I were met with a OMFG feeling for the first run.
Week 4 has you:
Warm up walk for 5 minutes
Run for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Run for 5 crazy long never going to end minutes
Walk for 2.5 minutes
Run for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Run for 5 how the eff am I supposed to finish minutes
End with a 5 minute cool down walk

The last 5 minute run for Run 1 on Monday had me talking to myself, chanting Reiki symbols to give me strength and the occasional cuss word as well. It was TOUGH but I did it. Just knowing I completed made me happy regardless of how I got there.

The second run for Week 4 wasn't nearly as OMFG but was still a push for us. Kevin and I found the 3 minute runs fairly easy and we know by next week we should have the 5 minute runs down and ready to move forward.

This weekend we had our first family biking trip! In July we bought a trailer that would hitch to the back of my bike (Kevin's bike doesn't have the whatever bolt that is needed so it can't hook up). We've either been too busy or the weather too hot so we haven't used the trailer yet.

Realizing that beautiful weather is around the corner and is fast to disappear we're making an effort to "schedule" biking trips and put them on the calendar.

Sunday morning we packed up the bikes, helmets, lunch, water packs, toys for Connor and ourselves and drove to Downs Park in Pasadena, MD. We decided to do the shorter trail to see how I would do biking for the first time in YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS while pulling the trailer behind. I thought I would do better than I did. After a while I was huffing and puffing and needing a break. I'll only keep getting stronger if we keep going! Connor LOVED riding along. When I stopped for water or a breathing break he would start whining or saying, "Mommy mommy mommy, go!". I'm super glad this worked out.

The trail at Downs Park struck me very sad. After the hurricane Downs Park was closed for several days. We got to see why. All around the trail there were downed trees. There were parts of the trail where the asphalt had been lifted and broken from roots being ripped up as trees fell. Trees had fallen like dominoes on top of each other. Roots flipped up were EVERYWHERE. Some parts looked like a bomb had gone off. It struck me sad because I have been going to Downs Park for as long as I can remember. I've been walking that trail for as long as I can remember. To see it in such bad shape broke my heart. I wish I could have stopped and took pictures but my goal was to keep moving on the bike.

After our trip around the loop I decided that if I was going to run for C25K the next day I needed to preserve my leg strength and stop for the day. I took Connor to the play ground and Kevin was going to hit up the longer trail at the park. WELL.... that side of the park was STILL closed due to downed trees. Soooo Kevin looped the smaller trail again and then met us for lunch.

Getting ready to go!

Taking a break! Notice some of the trees down behind me.

Kevin waiting for me to get my breath back :)

Connor fell asleep on the way home WITH pretzel in his mouth!!
Someone had TOO MUCH fun.

C25k - Week 2

Today I'm getting ready to complete Week 2 of C25K. On my lunch break I'll be doing Run 3!

Run 1 for Week 2 was surprisingly easier than I expected. This week I'm running 90 seconds and walking for 2 minutes in between. BUT Run 2 was difficult. I'm not sure why. Maybe because the two prior runs beforehand I completed in the evening at dusk and in cooler weather, maybe because I threw in an extra exercise in between Run 1 and Run 2, maybe because I didn't drink enough water before hand, or maybe just maybe I wasn't feeling running that day. I did however feel great once the run was complete and I finally cooled down.

My muscles are not nearly as sore as they were when I started this journey and I've noticed that my speed has improved throughout my practicing before and now into Week 2. Kevin has also joined me in the journey and we're sticking to running on the same days but at different times. I love that we're doing this together. We have our alone time to run and then have someone to talk to about it and compare how we're feeling. Right now we both are concerned with the fact that the last week expects us to run for a half hour straight.

During Run 2 when I was struggling on Wednesday I started thinking about Reiki and some of the symbols to help give me a boost and focus my breathing towards the end. It helped BIG TIME! So for Run 3, on my walk to the track this afternoon I'm going to get in touch with that energy before I start running and allow it to help me through the whole run.

Today is Boost My Blog Friday! Thanks to those who stopped by!

C25K aka... Getting My Butt In Shape....

After much consideration I decided to join in and do the Couch to 5k program (C25K). I have several friends who have completed it and I have several friends encouraging me to join them and do it.

I've never been one to be into exercising nor do I have any athletic abilities and I've been totally ok with that my whole life. In the third grade I wanted to quit softball because it made me sweat. In high school a close friend tried to talk me into joining track. I laughed my butt off at that one. I did do dance for a little bit in high school but that was short lived. I even tried out and made it into Color Guard my senior year but decided I didn't want to sweat outside during practice. Pretty sad huh?! That's ok.... I was a healthy and ok with not getting sweaty and dirty!

As I got older I used the excuse that I only run unless in danger because I couldn't find a supportive enough sports bra. Well I've recently learned that yes... all that was was an excuse. I'm doing just fine jogging and having no issues with being supported (<---------- can't believe I just put that out there). I guess I always ASSumed that I would have a problem with it.

Last week I decided to "try out jogging". Not sure how one "tries out jogging", but I did. On my lunch break I went to the locker room, changed and then headed out to the track. I would walk for a while then jog for a while then walk again. I guess I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't fall apart or feel like an idiot. After three trips to the track I realized that I don't feel like an idiot, I didn't fall apart and I'm getting a pretty good tan while going out there on my lunch break.

So today marked the beginning of Week 1 and I completed Run 1. I downloaded C25K Lite for my Droid. It tells you when to Warm Up, when to Walk and when to Jog. It felt good. Just when I was getting tired I would hear the marker letting me know it was time to walk and once I caught my breath it was telling me to jog again. AND right when I thought I couldn't do another round of jogging the app was telling me to Cool Down.

I learned two things during Run 1. I need to pack sunscreen. Today was the first time I was out there and it was sunny the whole time AND I need to pack a towel so I can hop in the shower to cool off. Nothing like returning back to work sticky and gross feeling. Hopefully Run 2 and 3 this week go just as smoothly!